Fake it or Mean it
by najika michiyuri
Summary: Sakuno transfers to a school in America. She meets a group of girls named LIPGLOSS and they trick her to be with a cat-eyed prodigy. RyoSaku. Sakuno's POV.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter1

Being on a plane is not one of the most favorite things in my life. And yet, here I am now sitting on a plane. A full ten hours of arguing with myself had passed. Half of me wants to stop this flight and go home while the other half wants me to go to America. Only a few hours to purgatory.

Back in Japan, I left a lot of loved ones. I remember grandma telling me the news that we're moving to America. I remember telling my friends about it. I remember _everything_. All the sleepless nights and all the tears and goodbyes seem like a long time ago now.

I'm on the second semester of being a junior and yet I need to transfer.

On my old school, I was a regular student. On the new school, I will be a castaway- a freak. In my old school not-so-much-more-than-average would be my normal description of the number of us students. It was hard for me to _really_ blend in so being friends with Tomo-chan was really good. Also, tomo-chan introduced me to the regulars who were all nice to me like big brothers.

In my new school which has so many students, it'll be hard for me to find a true friend. It's my first day and I know no one.

Time passed easily and unlucky for me, my parents are going on a business trip and would be back next week so I can't see them yet.

That night, I cried myself o sleep. Tomorrow would be a very dreadful day.

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RRRIIINNNGGG!!!

The unfamiar brightness of the room scared me. Where am I? Oh. Right. I'm here at America. Not Japan. Anymore.

"Young mistress, are you awake?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

_Young mistress?_ I looked around the room. I'm alone so the person can't be referring to anyone else. It can't be grandma. She certainly isn't young.

I walked up the door and opened it. A lady in her twenties wearing a maid outfit was there.

"Good morning, young mistress." She said and bowed down in front of me.

"Anou.. who are you?"

"I'm Cristy, your head personal maid."

"P-personal maid?"

I know that this house is big and all but having my own personal maid is really…different. I tried my best to be normal and all but life here is really weird and grand compared to my former life. I even got two cars and a license I never knew of. A man was also assigned as my driver-slash-bodyguard. I couldn't wrap my mind around things especially the cars- _my_ cars were supposedly a brand new black Mercedes-Benz SLR and bright yellow Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet. They said this was part 1 of my parents' homecoming gift. What would part2 be? Buying a whole mall?

The road to school was short. I see why they bought me a car. Because everyone has one from grandpa old to shiny new.

I took a deep breath as I entered the hall. Okay. Two deep breaths. My heart thumped unevenly. _No one is looking. No one is looking._

"Hey miss!" I looked back to see a well, as Tomo-chan described a football player-slash-playboy guy. I know it's rude to ignore people so I decided to talk to him.

"O- ohayou gozaimasu." I greeted. I answered him back, right? I didn't break any rule about manners.

"You're new here, right?"

I nodded.

"I'm Brad. And you are?" He asked raising a brow.

Okay. I can't do this. This guy is seriously trying to flirt with me as Tomo-chan warned me of. Maybe I should use other techniques.

"Gomenasai. I don't understand."

"Oh," He seemed to think about it for a minute, "perhaps I could teach you." He offered with an evil glint in his eyes.

Uh-oh. Wrong move. I'm dead.

"mada mada dane." I heard someone say. The person must be Japanese. I turned to see a cat-eyed guy with black hair that has green highlights to be the source.

"Okay. Gotta go." The guy named Brad suddenly waved at me. "But if you change your mind," he added, "I'll be waiting." He winked at me then disappeared.

It shot shivers through my spine. I do not like where Brad was going.

"Hn." The cat-eyed guy said- renouncing his presence.

"Arigatou." I bowed.

"hn." He repeated. He was certainly not a man of many words. On a daily basis, I would've gone away by now but I felt the urge to restart a conversation.

"I'm Saku-" My low voice was inaudible against the loud ringing of the school bell.

"Where's your locker?" The guy asked, apparently he didn't hear my name.

"I-I'm not really sure. 2-216?"

He began walking so I followed him. We stopped in front of lots of lockers. He slightly banged his fist on one of the lockers. I looked at it, 216. He the walked away.

"Arigatou!" I called after him. He just raised a tennis racket that he was holding.

Maybe school won't be that bad after all.

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First period is English. Okay. Deep breath. I can do this. I knocked on the door.

"Come in." A deep male voice answered.

I walked through the door.

"Ryuzaki Sakuno?" the teacher asked.

I nodded.

He got my slip and pointed to a seat between a girl wearing a ponytail and the cat-eyed guy.

"Arigatou, sensei." I thanked him.

I walked straight ignoring the stares the others are giving me.

"Do you think she's single?" I heard a boy with glasses ask his seatmate.

"Yeah. I guess so." His seatmate answered.

"She's so hot." The glasses guy whispered.

"I know." His seatmate whispered back.

Ugh. I blushed. I stopped listening. The cat-eyed person didn't seem to notice my presence while the girl bowed her head looking like she had something to say. At least I could stay inconspicuous somewhere.

The teacher discussed about lots of stuff that it was already a blur in my mind. Besides, English isn't the thing that I'm good at. Finally, just when I thought that the class would never end, the bell rang.

"Class dismissed." The teacher announced.

"Anou… hi! I'm Ryuzaki Sakuno." I said to the girl beside me.

"Hi Sakuno. I'm Jung Hee Mi." She introduced herself.

"You're Korean?"

"half. How about you? Japanese?"

"Yes.

I noticed that the two rows were all filled with Asians. They were going away already except for me, Mi-chan and the guy beside me.

"How come you're not going out?"

"I… Don't really have to go." She answered.

"How come?"

"I… I'll just stay here with Echizen-kun."

"E-Echizen?"

She pointed to the guy next to me. They look different. She surely isn't his sister. Is she his girlfriend?

As if she could read my mind, she told me, "he's my friend."

"Oh. Why don't you join them?"

"We sort of…don't belong."

I couldn't respond.

"Courtney Love, the head cheerleader, queen bee, most popular girl, head of LIPGLOSS," she aid the last word with disgust, "doesn't like me."

"Why?"

"She thinks I'm flirting with her target."

"Her- who?"

"target. LIPGLOSS is this huge group where cheerleaders belong to. They have a trio there as their, in legal terms, government- the head most powerful. They all have targets. Translation; the guys who are popular that they want to be with so that they'll be more popular."

"Who's her target?"

"Ryoma Echizen-kun."

She noticed the confusion in my eyes.

"Echizen-kun is really good at tennis. He has tons of fan girls. He would be the perfect popular boyfriend for her."

The horror painted on my face had easily caught her attention.

"Courtney wasn't always like that." She informed me. Her eyes were focused on something far away. "She used to be nice to everyone. She used to be my friend. Well, that's what it seemed for me. I didn't know that she was just a plastic. Her intention was evil. She just used me as her personal Asian maid."

I gasped- unable to control myself.

The bell rang. Apparently, I was saved by the bell. How cliché. It was homeroom now.

"Class, due to some circumstances, we need to replace our officers. But don't worry. You can pick anyone."

Everybody was silent.

"Don't be shy." The teacher encouraged.

My classmates weren't shy at all. They voted their former officers.

"Okay. Time for our escort. The teacher shouted.

"Echizen! Echizen!" They chanted in unison.

"Okay. Will there be anyone else who'll compete?"

No one answered.

"okay then. Ryoma, you'll be our escort. How about the muse?"

A girl with blonde hair that was in loose locks stood up. Her hair was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. It hung down her waist. Her hair was pale in comparison to her already fair skin. Her face was angelic goddess-like. Her lips were full and cherry pink. She also has amethyst-coloured eyes.

"I'd like to nominate myself." She said then smiled. Her smile was breathtaking.

I wonder if Echizen-san likes her.

-----------------------------

End of Chapter

------------------------------

Author's notes:

New story. i hope you like it. Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I'd like to nominate myself." She said then smiled. Her smile was breathtaking. Silence echoed around the room and when she sat down, echoes of joy and celebration was heard.

"Sakuno." Mi-chan said.

I was shocked. No way am I competing with the goddess of beauty. A roar of applause was heard around the class room.

"Okay. We'll vote." The teacher muttered.

Of all the bad luck involved, I was voted as muse. Courtney lost because of one vote.

"Congrats." Mi-chan whispered.

I grinned back at her.

After that second period, it was lunch. Mi-chan and Echizen-kun didn't go to the cafeteria. They said they had somewhere to go to. I am now stuck with no one to talk to. For lunch, I got a can of soda and an apple. I was looking for an unoccupied table when the Brad-guy went near me again.

"Hi! Wanna sit together?" he asked.

I was about to say no when a female voice interrupted.

"Shut up, Brad." Courtney Love looked irritated but her face was still breathtaking.

"Do you want to be with him- as one of his exes?" She was now talking to me.

"Um…no, thank you." I said politely.

"Then, it's all cleared up. You can go now Brad."

Brad walked away with shoulders slumped on his sides.

"Thank you." I told her. I started to walk away too.

"Wanna sit with us?" Courtney offered. The other girls were giving me dark stares.

"S-sure." I sat down away frome them- at the last part of the table.

"Oh. Don't sit there. Here." She patted the empty chair beside her.

Courtney had two more girls beside her- a dark-haired girl and another one whose hair was red. Their faces were all perfect.

"I'm Courtney. Well, you know that already. This is Ashley," she pointed to the dark-haired girl, "and this is Tricia," she introduced the redhead.

"Hi" Ashley waved at me.

"Hi! Sakuno, right?" Tricia asked.

I nodded.

"Okay. From now on you'll be… Megan." CXourtney said in an authorative voice. "Girls, introduce yourselves."

"Shane."

"Margaret."

"Jeanette."

"Jennifer."

"Paulina."

"I'm Mandy." The one nearest to the trio said.

"Okay. We have a hierarchy here." Courtney informed me.

"A…?" I trailed off.

"Hierarchy. I'm the highest, of course. Next is Ashley. Then, Tricia. We're the three princesses. Lucky for you, you get to be one of us so we'll be four. Yay us! Then the assistants. Mandy's mine. Shane is Ashley's. Margaret is Tricia's and Jeanette will be yours. Jennifer and Paulina are servants. They're still under training." She explained and beamed a self-congratulatory smile.

"Nice braids." She complimented me. "Okay. We'll give you a makeover."

"As long as you're one of us, you have to follow rules." Tricia said.

"We actually follow a dress code. Monday is pink day. You have to wear something pink. Tuesday is scarf day. Wednesday is skirts, of course. Thursday is Prada day and Friday is Gucci!" Ashley squealed.

"You'll start tomorrow." Courtney suggested.

"Welcome to LIPGLOSS!" Tricia squealed as she gave me a bear hug.

"Thanks." I murmured.

I think they're not bad at all. Mi-chan was probably exaggerating or just joking. They all seemed nice to me. They also had innocent faces that you could easily trust.

Due to the rules LIPGLOSS has, I was forced to go on a makeover that day with the three princesses. They introduced themselves formally to me. Courtney is the heiress of her dad's gigantic business in the makeup industry. Ashley's family owns a group of malls around the world. Tricia's parents divorced. Her dad is currently soaring as the top designer in U.S. her mom is living a simple life with her new family. When they asked me what my parents do, I told them I didn't know.

All of them were used to makeovers.

They let my hair loose out of my twin braids.

"Megan," as they called me, "We'll put on a few buttery highlights and a few honey tones."

"Anou…o-okay?" My voice made it into a question.

"Don't worry. I'm trained in this thing." Courtney assured me, "daddy taught me already."

She cut, relaxed and dyed my hair. I couldn't explain some parts of what it was. It was something I've never tried before.

When they were done with everything including makeup, clothes, shoes, bags and other accessories, four hours have passed. And after those four dreadful hours, I was finally allowed to look at myself.

"Okay. Close your eyes." Courtney ordered. "No peeking. 1…2…3…Ta-dah!"

She spun me around to look at my reflection in the mirror. I wasn't…me.

My plain auburn hair had parts highlighted dull gold while the others were a darker shade of brown. My hair was in loose locks which resembled Courtney's but it hung just above my waist. They put emerald-contacts on my eyes. I was wearing a pink long-sleeved shirt and on top of it was a brown-colored vest. My legs were covered with tights that were almost as light as my skin and it was accented with the shortest of miniskirts. They made me wear high strappy heels and a silver anklet which had letters that spell LIPGLOSS.

"Megan! Megan!" Ashley caught my attention. "Here. Try this."

She handed me a box of perfume.

"W-what do I…?" My voice trailed off.

Ashley got the box and opened it. She brought out the perfume and started spraying me with scent was too overwhelming. I started coughing.

"That's enough."Courtney told her.

"What do you think?" she asked me directly.

"It's um…", I couldn't put it to words and the first word that entered my mind is,"different."

"Of course it is.", She giggled. "You're one of us now."

Author's notes:

Well, it was a short chapter. I've been very lazy lately. I even lost the copy of this chapter and well, I found it again. For those who doesn't know yet, Sakuno has never met Ryoma in this story until their fist meeting in America. I promise to put more RyoSaku moments in the next chapter since there's none in this one. Thanks to all who read this especially to those who left reviews.

Etalocohc has the possibility of being updated since miyo-chan offered to type it while forgotten promise is something that I'm still not sure on what to do.

Well that's all.

Hope you enjoyed it! XD


	3. Chapter 3

Previous chapter:

"What do you think?" she asked me directly.

"It's um…", I couldn't put it to words and the first word that entered my mind is,"different."

"Of course it is.", She giggled. "You're one of us now."

Chapter Three:

I smiled. This wasn't home but maybe it's next to it. At least I belonged somewhere, right?

"Okay. Let's assign your target." Tricia announced.

"Target?" I haven't really thought about it yet.

"Ryoma Echizen is vacant."

"E-Echizen-san?"

"Don't tell me you can't do it."

"Um…no. it's not that."

"Then, what is it?" Tricia looked irritated.

"Echizen-san is really nice and he seems like a good person."

"He broke all our hearts." She sniffed. "The truth is, Courtney became his girlfriend. They looked so good together. But after a week… Courtney caught him with that Korean,"

"Jung Hee Mi?" I clarified.

"Yeah. Whatever. We didn't bother to name that girl."

My jaw dropped. I didn't expect Echizen-san to be like that. I tried to understand but… what?

"Hee- Hee Mi told me that-"

"Oh. She told you that crap too? I'm not surprised. She said that to everyone so that we will look like the bad guys." She was already teary-eyed.

"Tricia, don't worry. I'm on your side." Now, I added, "I'll do anything to help you."

"Really?" She sobbed, "anything?"

"Of course. You're my friend."

I bit my lower lip. I understood what she would've read between them.

"Then, you'll do it."

I opened my mouth to argue but closed it again when I saw her sad eyes.

"Please." She then pouted.

I just could nod. I'm not sure of what I'm getting into.

"YAY!" they cheered. "Thanks, Megan." They hugged me. The thing is, the feeling when they thanked me as Megan isn't the same as Sakuno. It's difficult to understand why they would need to replace my name. Besides, being called Megan rather than Sakuno is pretty confusing. But they're my friends, right? It shouldn't matter much to me because whenever they name me- Megan or Sakuno, I'm still their friend.

"Okay. Megan and Ryoma's first conversation will be tomorrow." Courtney planned.

How they made me agree? Well, I have no idea but it's all about their charm, right? You can be carried away easily. Believing them would be like falling off a cliff- totally effortless. And in comparison to that, being one of them is as hard as having not to breathe. It's hard- very and in the end of the day, you'll give up trying. Suddenly, I didn't want tomorrow to come. It'll be a challenge for me. I'll be on the spotlight, fo0r once. I've decided tomorrow shouldn't come.

When I got home, I found grandma sitting on the couch- waiting for me.

"How's your first day?" She asked.

"It was fine." I answered. "I guess," I murmured to myself.

"You made new friends." It trailed off as a question.

"Yeah. There was Courtney Love, Ashley Thomas and Tricia Stanley. There was also one half-Korean, Jung Hee Mi and a Japanese, too."

"Japanese?"

"Mm-hmm. Echizen Ryoma-san."

"Echizen Ryoma?" She repeated, incredulous.

I nodded and turned to go up the stairs.

"Night, Grandma."

"Night." She replied, still distracted.

I got up early, wanting to be the first in school to arrive. I didn't want to be the focus of stares today. I followed their dress code. I wore the pink scarf-tube top-short skirt- ensemble my new personal shopper- hired by Courtney prepared. When I arrived, they were there already.

"Megan!" They all squealed.

"Um… hi!" I didn't understand why they were so excited.

"You." Courtney pointed to me, aggravated.

"E-eh?" I wore the clothes right. I followed her. Why is she angry?

"Going to school without make up is a serious crime." She pointed out.

"Oh." I finally understood her distress.

"Okay." She sighed. "seems like we need a short make up time."

They lead me to a huge room with all the paraphernalia of a beauty salon.

"Welcome to our powder room!" Ashley greeted.

"I thought we're going to our clubhouse." Tricia said out loud.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Tricia, this is our temporary club house. We told you last week, right?" she raised an eyebrow.

"But I thought we're going to Ey-meh-rey-ka." She told Courtney.

"WE ARE IN AMERICA!" Courtney snapped.

My mouth fell open. There's no way that Courtney, sweet and innocent Courney, would shout like that.

"Sorry, Courtney." Tricia said quietly.

I snapped my mouth shut. Maybe Courtney's in a bad mood.

"Continuing…" Courtney turned to face me.

They started working then and puffed, painted and powdered my face. I was scared to look at the mirror. What if I look like a clown? With a big gulp, I faced my reflection.

I looked beautiful. Dazzling. I couldn't quite turn the emerald-coloured eyes into my familiar brown orbs. I stratched my lips to form a huge grin and the creature mirrored my action. She smiled and it was devastatingly beautiful. I wanted to cry. Her emerald irises were full of excitement and her hair had loose locks and looked perfect that way. Her lips were cherry pink as her sweet smile made them more visible.

I blushed. How did this happen? The creature's cheeks turned scarlet.

"You look perfect!" Ashley screamed.

"You. Are. Super. BEAUTIFUL! Most of us all!" Tricia squealed. They started jumping up and down. Courtney gave them a glare and they settled quietly.

Suddenly, it's time.

We walked through the halls and the once crowded hallway split into two groups to make way for us.. everyone turned to look. Some even craned their necks to see.

Heat rushed up my cheeks. The spotlight wasn't for me. Every guy stared at us. Well, that was how it seemed. Some even smiled at me. Courtney looked irritated and then hurried to take her place in front of us.

Her brows furrowed in concentration then suddenly a smug smile was on her face. She went beside me and whispered, "Target reached. Echizen Ryoma."

My heart suddenly switched to a sprint when my new emerald orbs got contact with his golden ones. Subconsciously, my feet shuffled themselves forward towards my _target_'s direction. Without needing to look around me, I knew instinctively that everyone is looking at us.

"H-Hi. I-I'm Megan." My voice trembled. It sounded distant. On my opinion, I look like a fool right now. Echizen Ryoma was still wearing his stoic mask.

"Too much make up." He said coolly.

I blushed. Instantly, my lips formed a pout and tears were rolling down my cheeks. How embarrassing! I ran to the farthest place I could reach. The rooftop. It was like Japan- like home to me. I cried and finally, when I finished, I walked down and washed the make up off of my face. I tied my hair in my usual twin braids. I heaved a deep sigh.

It was no use trying. I don't and would never belong here.

I miss Japan. I miss Tomo-chan. I miss all my senpais. I want to go back _home_. My heart thumped swiftly at the word.

"I want to go home!" I shouted out. My heart thumped again but I didn't care.

"I want to go home! I want to go home! I want to go home!" I chanted again and again. I felt free. Until now, I didn't realize how much I wanted to say those words. I didn't realize how desperately I wanted to tell my grandma this plea.

"Un."

And there he was. His presence being announced by his grunt.

The happiness I felt was starting to fade. I fought back the tears that threatened to fall down again.

Oh. The logic I was starting to form clicked on my mind. He heard everything.

I was waiting for him to say something but I didn't really know what to words I was waiting for. Maybe I wanted to be comforted or maybe I wanted him to say sorry for what he said earlier.

"Braids." He said flatly then started to walk away.

My heart wanted to jump right out of my chest.

"E-Echizen-san!" I called after him.

He looked back.

"I'm Ryuzaki Sakuno." I bowed.

"Echizen Ryoma." He then went back on walking away.

Considering that I just introduced myself _formally_ to him as Sakuno, I wonder if he remembered me as Megan.

End of chapter

Author's notes:

Me: Sorry for the very very very very very.. (reaches 100 very's) … late update. I got too caught up in writing my own story with my own characters so I totally forgot about updating this fic.

Well, finally. I got the time and perseverance to type this. Lots of months have passed since I last wrote a RyoSaku fic. It feels good to be back. Soon, I might also update etalocohC. *fingers crossed*

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I desperately want to write another RyoSaku fic but I decided not to until I reached the fifth chapter of Fake it or Mean it and the second one of etalocohC. I'll also try writing using Ryoma's POV for the next chapter. Wish me luck!

Anyway, I deleted Forgotten promise because I really can't think of anything to write about it anymore. but the new story I wanna write is sort of connected to Forgotten Promise ( I mean, the forgetting people thing..)

Sorry 'bout the long note. Haha. Please review! Even flames are accepted! Ja!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

(Ryoma's POV)

I gazed at the partner division for the first time.

"Hn." It says I was paired with a Ryuzaki Sakuno. I wasn't good at remembering names but for some reason, I didn't forget hers.

I couldn't help but remember our meeting yesterday.

FLASHBACK

The day started as usual. After tennis practice, I went to my locker and drank a can of Ponta I put in there a while ago. The hallway was filled with people.

Of course the high school socialites held of no interest for me. I just went here to play more tennis.

"Make way! Make way!" the chess club president, John, as they call him, shouted at the top of his lungs.

The usual routine of the social climbers according to the female part of the population started.

I stayed still. It would be a few minutes until this is over. They walked around in their designer clothes. I could just roll my eyes at how pathetic they sometimes look.

They were wearing stuff that are too short. Only Oyaji would pay attention to them. I realized they had a new member. She was the same as them. No wonder they kept her.

The blonde whispered to the newbie. After a while, her face got red and she went near me.

"H-hi! I-I'm Megan." She introduced herself.

I glared at her. "Too much make up."

She started crying then ran away. She was different. I once tried saying that to the blonde girl but all she said was 'it's not too much, Ryoma. There's just no natural girl in this world.' in her snottiest voice. Somehow, I feel something because of that. My feet took their own direction. They brought me to my thinking place, the rooftop.

I was not prepared for what I saw and heard.

"I want to go home!"

The voice sounded familiar. But the last time I heard it was from the newbie. The girl did have the same hair color. It was normal. Whenever a girl from their clique gets a new hairstyle, every girl in school follows.

"Un." I grunted.

She turned and focused her attention on me. Her face became red again and she looked confused. I could almost hear the click in her mind when she finally thought of something.

I gazed intently at her face. It was fair and her cheeks were red as roses. Cream and roses. Her hair was auburn and had different highlights. It was the sort of thing that still looked natural and it suits her. Somehow, I preferred her hair like that. It was fixed in twin braids. It was sort of typical but she looked beautiful. Wait. What was I saying? Stupid hormones.

But still, I looked into her eyes. It was chocolate brown- the kind of eyes that showed her innocence. Gazing at those eyes were a drowning feeling.

"Braids." I couldn't help but say.

I turned to leave her.

"E-Echizen-san!" she called after me.

"I'm Ryuzaki Sakuno." She introduced herself.

"Echizen Ryoma." I then left.

END OF FLASHBACK

"Looks like you're paired with little miss nicey." Hee Mi told me.

"Hm."

"Bad for you. I would want to have a bet with you but neither of us are in good consequences involving our partners. That Ryuzaki girl is not like us, Ryoma. Careful. And I'm going to be careful with that Brad, you know, that muscle guy?"

I nodded. Jung Hee Mi was pretty good in tennis and pairing her with that guy was such a waste for her talent.

"Ryoma, do you think Sakuno is good in tennis?"

"No. She signed up for the doubles tutorial, remember?"

"Yeah. She did. Heard though, her grandma's a tennis coach back in Japan."

I nodded again. The less I contribute to this conversation, the earlier it ends.

"HEY LOVEBIRDS! Can I borrow my partner?" the muscle guy shouted. He wasn't good at studies. He's just the football type- no other sport there.

"Looks like I'll deal with bird brain. Bye, Ryoma." She waved at me. I just stood there staring at the piece of paper at the board. It too, held no interest for me.

The soft voice announced her arrival. "Echizen—san."

"Drop the honorifics." I commanded.

"E-eh?" her face was all red again.

"Honorifics." I repeated.

"C-can I call y-you R-Ryoma-chan?" she stuttered a lot. Was it somehow hard to get all those words out?

"-kun."

"Ryoma-kun?"

"Hn."

I went towards the gate. Standing there the whole time under the sun made me thirsty.

"Echiz, I mean, Ryoma-kun, the tennis courts are this way." She pointed to her right.

Of course I knew that.

"Ponta."

She followed me, trailing behind. I got two Pontas. After going to the vending machine, I settled under a tree. I closed my eyes and felt the wind touch every part of me. It wasn't as hot as out there- under the blazing sun. The trees blocked the light casting a shade for me to rest on.

Ryuzaki sat beside me. She was quiet unlike those fan girls so I easily fell asleep.

The softness under my head surprised me enough to remind me that it wasn't there before. it was pretty nice, considering that I didn't bring a pillow. What was I sleeping on anyway? I opened my lids which was pretty hard because they wanted to stay that way. And Ryuzaki's face greeted me. Oh. I was sleeping on her lap.

"R-Ryoma-kun, you're already awake."

I lifted my head. Ugh. That was worse. I got a headache already. I stared at her. Her face was all red again. She must be sick. I need to get her to the infirmary.

"Are you okay?" I asked in my usual flat tone.

It's bad enough that I can't play tennis alone. I don't need a sick player. I pulled her closer and rested my forehead on hers. Her temperature was hotter than mine.

"I-I'm okay, Ryoma-kun." She said as her temperature rose a few more degrees.

I pulled away. I need something to put on her forehead. I don't have a pack of ice but I still have one more Ponta. I got it and put it on her forehead.

"Let's go to the infirmary."

"N-no. Um… thanks, Ryoma-kun."

We were silent for a while. My ears perked up when I heard the Coach's whistle.

I stood up.

"Wait, Ryoma-kun."

Again, she followed trailing behind me.

The coach lined us up in two's.

"Okay," the coach started, "for those who are already good in tennis, I'll need you to teach your partners. You have two weeks. After that, there will be practice matches. Then, the real ones. Those who are already good will only play doubles with your partners and no singles. Singles matches are only allowed for the beginners."

Ryuzaki's height was normal. She didn't look like the sturdy type, though. She might fall down or trip easily if we practice. I do hope she doesn't. but even if she does, something tells me that she won't give up. She is a klutz but maybe she got some hidden tennis skills too.

When I got home, I collapsed on my bed. I was feeling sore all over. It was like my first ever tennis practice with Oyaji. Ryuzaki had no tennis experience. I served a lot of balls and only five returned. She kept running around chasingafter them. Tomorrow would be the second day of practice. I do hope she gets better at this.

End of Chapter

Author's Notes:

Yay! I finally finished writing using Ryoma's POV.

Haha. It was my first time. I guess I do have some mistakes… but I hope you liked it! I really worked hard on this one. Writing using this POV is very hard. I hope I never have the need to do it again.

Please Review! Everyone, Ja! See you next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

(Sakuno's POV)

I was not feeling well. I could barely feel my feet as I entered the school. The three of them were already there already. They were waiting for me like always.

"Morning, Megan!" Tricia grinned.

"M-Morning." My voice shook. I saw the way Courtney eyed me. Her gaze full of ridicule missed no part of me as it travelled from head to toe. I knew exactly what she would think. I was wearing too little makeup. I actually used as little as I can which meant only lip gloss and the mascara that the personal shopper added.

"Courtney, I-I couldn't join you today. I'm not feeling well. I promise I'll be with you tomorrow." I shot her a pleading look. She has no idea how the pain I feel makes me almost numb.

"Okay. But remember, tomorrow." She sighed.

"Yes," I promised. That was when I left them. I went up the rooftop. It was the only place where I could actually relax. When I finally reached it, everything was worse. My vision was blurry. And then, everything went black.

When I opened my eyes, I instantly saw a pair of golden ones staring at me. Somehow, I felt like he could see through me. My whole face was hot and I was scared to look at him straight in the eye.

"Wh-What happened?" I decided to ask.

"You lost consciousness." He simply stated.

"Oh." My cheeks continued burning up. "Th-Thank you for bringing me h-here, Echizen-san, I mean, Ryoma-kun."

"Hn."

He quickly turned his head and lowered his cap. I wonder if I said something wrong. But I liked to stare at Ryoma-kun. His eyes were just the right shade. His face looks like it doesn't know what a 'smile' was. He's very cool. He shows a cold attitude towards all.

"I'm leaving."

"Um… where are you going, Ryoma-kun?" I didn't want to sound to clingy but I was very curious.

"Tennis partner."

"U-Um… Ryoma-kun…" I couldn't find the words to phrase what I was trying to say.

"Hm?" he arched an eyebrow.

"U-Um. Nothing." I smiled.

He turned and left me completely- leaving a question lingering on my head.

_Aren't I here already? Why does he need look for me?_

(Ryoma's POV)

I closed the door gently. I wonder where Ryuzaki would be as of now. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her in the people entering the school today.

"Ryoma" a voice called me. I looked back to see the head of the clique where the newbie belonged to. She probably came to check out the girl.

"Hm?" I asked her.

"Why are you with Megan?" She asked- with furrowed brows. She looked as if I did something bad to her just because I helped her friend.

"She fainted." I told her. She then turned with an angry 'hmph' while stomping her foot angrily.

_Megan, huh?_ So that was the new girl's name. She does look a bit like Ryuzaki. They have the same hair color but are very different people.

After literally going around school for many times, I gave up looking for her. She was nowhere to be found. Nobody knew where she was. Out of nowhere, I saw the muscle guy head to the infirmary. He had an evil smile on his face. I suddenly remembered something. The newbie was there.

He was probably up to no good again. For some reason, I felt like I had to protect that girl. _Che._ I served the tennis ball on my hand and it went up- straight to his head.

"Looks like my shots are getting better." I gave him a mocking grin. With that, he turned to the opposite direction. I sighed. Well, I've finished searching the whole school. _Where the heck is she? And why the hell did I feel protective of that Megan-person?_

(Sakuno's POV)

When Ryoma-kun left, I was alone in the infirmary. I stayed there for a long time until the classes were over so my driver would come pick me up. But he never came. I decided to go home instead. My eyes were starting to get irritated by the contacts so I took them off and fixed my hair in braids. The weather here was much warmer and I'm guessing it'll help if my hair was sort of tied. I changed my clothes into just plain jeans, a shirt and rubber shoes. I definitely couldn't walk the long distance to our house in high heels.

I couldn't believe my luck. I found Echizen-san, I mean, Ryoma-kun, walking home, too. Somehow, my attention was all focused on him. I literally can't take my eyes off of him. I decided to try to catch up to him. I ran.

Ryoma-kun paused to look behind. This is a good chance to tell him about the misunderstanding he had about my identity.

_Go Sakuno! Left foot. Right. Go! Almost there…_but, like always, my luck ran out. I stepped on a piece of paper that was lying around. And before I fell I closed my eyes and waited till I hit the ground.

But I didn't. I was lying on something- much rather, someone. The next thing I knew, I was on top of Ryoma-kun. His face was just a few inches from mine. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. I scrambled to get up.

_Why did I self-renounced klutz try to run? I have both left feet and might trip on an even, smooth surface._

"Gomenasai." I bowed. I can't believe I just did that. Even if it was an accident, it was a very awkward moment.

"Ryoma-kun, I'm- I'm really sorry." I pleaded.

He gave me another one of his grunts and stood up too. He looked at me straight in the eye. "Why weren't you at practice?"

"Um…" _actually, I was at the infirmary. You know, I'm actually Megan,_ those were the words I should say but the ones which came out were… "I was p-pretty busy. I w-was also feeling a b-bit of pain so I went t-to the infirmary afterwards. S-sorry I couldn't come, ryoma-kun. I p-promise I'll go tomorrow."

He handed me a can of Ponta. "Do better tomorrow," he smirked.

A car pulled over the road. It was my driver. I recognized the car easily. It was tinted really dark. It also had a small sticker on the upper left side. It was one for all the vehicles allowed to enter our school.

"Ja ne, Ryoma-kun." I smiled.

I ran to the car. I felt something different. As the driver revved up the engine, an idea popped into my mind. _What if, just what if, I'm actually falling for Ryoma-kun?_

_**END OF CHAPTER**_

AUTHOR's NOTES:

Well, here goes the fifth chapter. Summer is ending here at the Philippines so I might not have time to update this again… due to my hectic school schedule…(-_-)

BTW, I'm looking for someone who can help me in writing etalocohC. For those who are interested, please PM me… I might only check my account until next week (*Cries*). Once again, I'll be banned from the computer once school is back… haha. So, please, please, help…

Thanks for reading this chap.. hope you enjoyed it!


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